Purcey 'excited' to make debut with White Sox

Purcey 'excited' to make debut with White Sox

CHICAGO -- David Purcey has seen U.S. Cellular Field from the visitors' side, but he'll soon be making his debut in a home uniform.

The left-hander, who had his contract purchased from Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday afternoon, arrived sometime around the eighth inning of Wednesday night's 4-2 loss to the Orioles and headed straight to the bullpen.

"It's really nice, coming in last night and walking out to the bullpen," Purcey said. "Just hearing the crowd and the intensity of the game. It just brought back a lot of memories, and I'm just really excited to be here."

Purcey is in his fifth year in the big leagues, but his first with Chicago after he was signed as a free agent in November. He's spent his entire career (6-12 with a 5.38 ERA in 87 games, including 21 starts) in the American League, and most recently with the Tigers. He has pitched one scoreless inning at U.S. Cellular Field.

Purcey joins Matt Thornton as the only lefties in the White Sox bullpen, which lost Jesse Crain to the disabled list on Wednesday with a sore right shoulder.

"Every opportunity here is great," Purcey said. "Anything I can do to help the team, lighten the load and try to make an impact."

Purcey, 31, was 0-2 with a 3.03 ERA (13 earned runs in 38 2/3 innings), three saves and 43 strikeouts in 26 relief appearances with Charlotte this year.

"Everything was working pretty well for me. Just making small adjustments and strides," he said. "Basically being aggressive, going after hitters and making them put it in play. Realizing you want them to put it in play quickly, and be efficient with your pitches. That's something I was really trying to work on."

& This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.